Elementor vs WPBakery Page Builder – Which One is Better?

If you’re building a WordPress website today, you’ve probably heard people talk about page builders. These tools have completely changed how websites are designed. Instead of editing theme files, writing CSS, or touching PHP code, you can now build pages visually using a simple drag-and-drop interface.

In other words, you design your website the same way you might arrange slides in a presentation — by placing elements exactly where you want them.

Among the many page builders available today, Elementor and WPBakery Page Builder remain two of the most widely used options. Both tools help you design pages without coding, and both are trusted by beginners, freelancers, agencies, and developers around the world.

But one question still comes up again and again:

Elementor vs WPBakery Page Builder – Which one is actually better?

The truth is, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. The right choice depends on your experience level, the type of website you’re building, and how you prefer to design pages.

In this comparison, we’ll take a practical look at both builders — their features, ease of use, design flexibility, performance, pricing, and real-world usability — so you can decide which one fits your workflow best.

Understanding WordPress Page Builders

Before comparing Elementor and WPBakery directly, it helps to understand what a page builder plugin actually does.

A WordPress page builder allows you to design your website visually rather than relying on the traditional WordPress editor. Instead of writing code or editing templates, you simply drag elements onto a page and customize them.

With a page builder, you can easily:

• Build complete page layouts using drag-and-drop editing
• Customize design elements without coding
• Add content blocks like images, buttons, forms, and sliders
• Create landing pages, blog layouts, and product pages
• Design responsive layouts for mobile devices

The biggest advantage is that you can see your changes instantly while building the page. That makes the design process faster and much more beginner-friendly.

Among the many builders available today, Elementor and WPBakery Page Builder are still two of the most recognized names in the WordPress ecosystem.

Elementor vs WPBakery Page Builder – Quick Overview

Although both plugins aim to make website design easier, they approach it in slightly different ways.

Elementor

Elementor is a modern drag-and-drop builder that focuses on live front-end editing. When you design a page, you see exactly what visitors will see on the final website.

Some key characteristics of Elementor include:

• Real-time visual editing
• A beginner-friendly interface
• A large library of widgets
• A huge ecosystem of third-party add-ons
• A powerful free version

Because of its clean interface and smooth editing experience, Elementor has quickly become one of the most popular page builders in the WordPress world.

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WPBakery Page Builder

WPBakery is one of the oldest and most established WordPress page builders. It was originally known as Visual Composer and is still bundled with many premium WordPress themes.

Key features include:

• Both backend and frontend editors
• Compatibility with many premium themes
• A large collection of built-in elements
• Strong integration with theme frameworks

Many long-standing WordPress websites still rely on WPBakery because it has been included with premium themes for years.

Now let’s explore how these two builders compare in real-world use.

Ease of Use: Which Builder Is More Beginner-Friendly?

When comparing Elementor vs WPBakery Page Builder, usability is often the deciding factor — especially for beginners.

Elementor Interface

Elementor is widely considered one of the easiest page builders to learn.

The interface includes:

• A live visual editor
• Drag-and-drop widgets
• Instant preview of changes
• Clean sidebar controls

The workflow is very intuitive. For example, if you want to add text to a page, you simply drag a text widget onto the canvas and start editing.

A typical workflow looks like this:

1. Drag a widget (like text or image) onto the page
2. Edit the content directly
3. Adjust spacing, colors, or typography
4. Publish the page

Everything happens in real time, which makes the process feel fast and natural.

Why beginners love Elementor

• Very little learning curve
• Clean and modern interface
• Real-time editing
• Faster page design workflow

Even if you’ve never built a website before, you can usually learn Elementor within a few minutes.

WPBakery Interface

WPBakery offers two editing modes:

• Backend editor
• Frontend editor

The backend editor is more structured. Instead of dragging elements freely across the page, you build layouts using rows and columns.

A typical WPBakery workflow looks like this:

1. Add a row
2. Choose a column structure
3. Insert elements inside the columns
4. Configure settings in pop-up windows

It works well, but it feels more technical compared to Elementor’s visual editor. Beginners sometimes find the interface a bit less intuitive.

Design Flexibility and Customization

Another major factor in the Elementor vs WPBakery comparison is design flexibility.

Elementor Design Capabilities

Elementor gives users a high level of design control. Almost every visual element can be customized directly from the editor.

You can adjust things like:

• Spacing and margins
• Typography
• Colors and gradients
• Animations
• Responsive layouts
• Global design settings

With Elementor Pro, the possibilities expand even further. Advanced features include:

• Theme Builder
• Popup Builder
• Custom headers and footers
• WooCommerce Builder

This means you can design your entire website visually, not just individual pages.

Popular Elementor widgets include:

• Headings
• Images
• Buttons
• Testimonials
• Forms
• Pricing tables
• Sliders
• Galleries

On top of that, hundreds of third-party Elementor add-ons extend its functionality even further.

WPBakery Design Capabilities

WPBakery also offers flexible design options, but it relies more heavily on structured layouts.

Designs are created using:

• Rows
• Columns
• Elements

While this system works well, it sometimes requires more steps to build complex layouts.

However, many premium WordPress themes include custom WPBakery elements, which can expand its design possibilities significantly.

Common WPBakery elements include:

• Text blocks
• Image galleries
• Tabs
• Accordions
• Buttons
• Carousels

That said, the ecosystem of add-ons is still smaller compared to Elementor’s growing library.

Design Flexibility Winner

Elementor generally offers more modern design flexibility and easier customization.

Performance and Website Speed

Website performance is another important factor to consider when choosing a page builder.

Elementor Performance

Elementor has made significant performance improvements over the past few years.

Some of the optimizations include:

• Improved CSS loading
• Cleaner DOM structure
• Lazy loading options
• Built-in performance experiments

Of course, like any page builder, performance can still be affected if you install too many add-ons or heavy widgets.

Using caching plugins like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache can help keep Elementor sites running fast.

WPBakery Performance

WPBakery works differently behind the scenes because it relies heavily on shortcodes.

This can sometimes create:

• Larger HTML output
• Shortcode lock-in
• Slower rendering on complex pages

That doesn’t mean WPBakery websites are slow. With proper optimization, they can still perform well. But the structure tends to be heavier compared to Elementor.

Performance Winner

When properly optimized, Elementor generally offers better performance.

Theme Compatibility

Theme compatibility is another factor that influences which builder you should choose.

Elementor-Friendly Themes

Elementor works especially well with lightweight themes such as:

• Astra
• Hello Elementor
• GeneratePress
• OceanWP

These themes are designed to work seamlessly with Elementor and provide excellent performance.

WPBakery-Compatible Themes

WPBakery is commonly bundled with premium themes from marketplaces like ThemeForest.

Popular examples include:

• Avada
• Salient
• The7
• Bridge

If your theme already includes WPBakery, it’s usually best to continue using it for full compatibility.

Theme Compatibility Winner

This category is theme-dependent, so both builders perform well depending on the theme you choose.

Pricing Comparison

Pricing is often an important consideration when choosing a page builder.

Elementor Pricing

Elementor offers a powerful free version, which is one of its biggest advantages.

The free version includes:

• Drag-and-drop editing
• Basic widgets
• Responsive design controls

Elementor Pro unlocks advanced tools such as:

• Theme Builder
• Popup Builder
• WooCommerce Builder
• Dynamic content

Pricing usually starts around $59 per year.

WPBakery Pricing

WPBakery is a premium-only plugin.

The typical price is about $64 as a one-time purchase.

However, many premium themes already include WPBakery at no additional cost, which means you may not need to buy it separately.

Pricing Winner

Elementor wins here thanks to its feature-rich free version.

Elementor vs WPBakery Pros and Cons

Elementor Pros

• Extremely beginner-friendly
• Real-time visual editing
• Large widget library
• Free version available
• Huge community support

Elementor Cons

• Some advanced features require Pro
• Too many add-ons can affect performance

WPBakery Pros

• Compatible with many premium themes
• Stable and well-established plugin
• Backend editor option
• One-time purchase

WPBakery Cons

• Less intuitive interface
• Heavy shortcode usage
• Smaller ecosystem of extensions

Real-World Use Cases

Different users often prefer different page builders depending on their needs.

Elementor is ideal for:

• Beginners building their first website
• Bloggers creating landing pages
• Freelancers designing client sites
• WooCommerce store owners
• Marketers building sales funnels

WPBakery is better suited for:

• Users working with themes bundled with WPBakery
• Developers are comfortable with grid layouts
• Agencies maintaining older websites

Which Is Better: Elementor or WPBakery?

After comparing both tools in detail, most modern WordPress users tend to prefer Elementor.

It offers:

• A smoother user experience
• Faster design workflow
• Greater design flexibility
• A massive ecosystem of add-ons

That said, WPBakery is still a solid and reliable page builder, especially if your theme already includes it.

Quick verdict

• Beginners: Elementor
• Design flexibility: Elementor
• Theme compatibility: WPBakery (theme dependent)
• Overall experience: Elementor

For most people building a new website today, Elementor is usually the better choice.

Practical Tips for Choosing a Page Builder

If you’re still unsure which builder to choose, keep these tips in mind:

• Always check your theme compatibility first
• Avoid using multiple page builders on the same website
• Try Elementor’s free version before upgrading
• Use caching and CDN services for better performance
• Choose lightweight themes for faster websites

Making the right decision early can save you a lot of redesign work later.

Our Conclusion

Choosing between Elementor and WPBakery ultimately comes down to your workflow and the type of website you’re building.

If you want a modern, beginner-friendly page builder with powerful design tools, Elementor is hard to beat. Its visual editing experience, large widget ecosystem, and generous free version have made it one of the most popular WordPress tools available today.

WPBakery, on the other hand, still has its place — especially for websites built with themes that already rely on it.

But for most new WordPress users, freelancers, and bloggers, Elementor offers a smoother, faster, and more flexible website-building experience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Elementor better than WPBakery?

For most beginners and modern websites, Elementor is often considered better because of its live visual editor, ease of use, and larger ecosystem.

2. Which page builder is faster: Elementor or WPBakery?

Elementor usually produces cleaner code and better performance when properly optimized.

3. Can I switch from WPBakery to Elementor?

Yes, but switching may require redesigning pages since WPBakery uses shortcodes that do not transfer directly.

4. Does Elementor work with all WordPress themes?

Elementor works with most themes, but it performs best with lightweight themes such as Astra or Hello Elementor.

5. Is WPBakery still worth using today?

Yes, especially if your theme already includes it. However, many new websites prefer Elementor for its modern interface.

6. Do professionals use Elementor?

Absolutely. Many freelancers, agencies, and developers use Elementor to build professional websites and landing pages.